Monday, December 20, 2010

That's about all I get on the Internet these days. I just tried to upload a photo and it ACTUALLY WORKED!! So I will try again now with this cute photo of Blacky/Lowell. She ( not a "he" as we all had assumed) was 'fixed' last Tuesday and is recovering well. As much as I love kittens I am the first to promote the spay/neuter thing. There are so many strays running around and it's especially heart-breaking in this cold weather. So now there is another happy house pet to add to the ranks. Yes, Blacky is now allowed inside the heated garage/man-cave. I am hoping the neighbors let her in the house soon. I've hinted at how much easier that would be, rather then trudging through the snow out to the garage to feed her and feed the stove heater with wood. I think it's only a matter of time.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

No, not another history lesson, but a reference to the computer I am stuck using. I had to haul out the old carcass with the Windows 6 version that had been exiled to the attic when we bought the spiffy new little E-Machine. That one croaked completely last week with a big, huge blue spyware screen taking over the whole mess. It wouldn't even allow me my greatest of all escapes......."system restore". Yes, for a while there I fancied myself the computer genius for being able to press the system restore button and "fix" the computer. Do you know you can't even use the Chat feature on Facebook with Windows 6. It gave me some nasty screen suggesting I update to the current century! So I wonder how picture uploads will go with this dinosaur? The words "connection timed-out" seem to be it's favorite phrase. Hey look, there it is again on the photo upload screen. Oh well, I guess I wait to use Mom and Dad's computer next week. See you then...........

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Every once in a while I break away from the standard fare of gymnasts, cats, cross-stitch and knitting and delve into my favorite little space of history. That of the great Royal Ladies. My all time favorite and my childhood inspiration to study this subject came from this lady, Her Royal Highness Princess Alix of Hesse, The Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia. Daughter of Princess Alice of Great Britain and Grand Duke Louis of Hesse, she was born in 1872. She was the youngest surviving child and a great beauty of her time, as were her sisters Victoria, Ella and Irene. Like her elder sister Ella, Alix married into the Russian Imperial Family in 1894. She and her husband, Tsar Nicholas II were the last ruling couple of the dynasty. Unlike many royal marriages, Alix and Nicholas were very much in love. They had four daughters, Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia and a son, Alexei. Tragically Alix, her 5 children and her husband were executed during the Russian Revolution in July of 1918. Alix converted to the Russian Orthodox faith when she married and her devout beliefs sustained her until the end of her life. Her her life as a loving wife and mother and woman of God has made her an inspiration to many.

Monday, December 6, 2010

This tasty batch arrived today from Edgar. Hmm, notice how one of the chocolate-covered cherry papers is already empty. How did that happen? Must have been that greedy postman. All so delicious and incredibly thoughtful, Edgar. Thank you so much.

Crazy snowing outside and I love it. Time to stitch, and as of Saturday a lot more time then I had anticipated. Again, the outside world has invaded what semblance of order I had made of my life, if oh-so briefly. Hats off to USAG for recognizing my 10+ years of dedicated service (not to mention outrageous yearly dues) with another slap in the face. After 34 years, it may be time to move on from gymnastics. But that decision can be left for another time. I need to pull myself together and tough it out through another "happy holiday season".

So I am doing some serious "nesting"...baking Christmas cookies, working on a quilt and finishing some more socks and ornaments. The company of my beloved animals is always a plus. No matter what happens I always have their unconditional love.